


Early Melancholy Coffee

by pineapple_Tattoo



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: M/M, Named MC, we needed more male MC's so i decided to contribute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25013698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pineapple_Tattoo/pseuds/pineapple_Tattoo
Summary: He gave up on sleeping, his body simply not allowing him tonight with so many thoughts and questions swirling in his head.A cup of coffee with unexpected company in the early hours of the morning leads to unexpected conversations and revelations.
Relationships: Lucifer/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 57





	Early Melancholy Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this has been in my head for awhile, and it turned out to be a lot of fun to write! I started this before the new lessons came out, though I haven't be able to get very far in those since my cards aren't good enough. Anyway thanks for reading! I'll have more notes at the end.

The steam from the hot water slowly rose up, gently rising up and around his face. The smell of a cup of melancholy coffee was hard to describe exactly, it seemed to change the longer you drank it. At first it smelled like a burning rubber tire would, which had made him hesitant to even try the beverage. Later on it smelled of coal ash and blackberries, a combination the human had never thought to even put in the same atmosphere until now. Right now however it smelled almost like the coffee he was used to, bitter, nutty, but still with that hint of desolation you simply couldn't take out.

He lifted the paper filter filled with coffee grinds above the now full coffee cup, black drips still slowly falling down from it and into the cup below. Rory held his hand under the filter to catch any remaining liquid and quickly tossed it in the trash can. All the coffee cups in the House of Lamination, actually all the dishware, were all very proper looking and expensive pieces. It made his large collection of mismatched coffee cups back home look shameful and cheap. Each coffee cup here had a matching saucer and spoon, same for the tea cups and sets. It was a nice departure to use really, but he tried to avoid doing so when possible out of fear of breaking something with his usual clumsiness. Hardly a month went by in his apartment where he didn't drop, break, or cut something he shouldn't have. In fact not too long before he was summed here, he had nearly chopped off his thumb getting the pit out of an avocado.

So needless to say when he bothered to make himself coffee and therefore be forced to use these overpriced fancy cups, he needed the caffeine.

Grabbing the cup and saucer, and making sure to hold it firmly, Rory strode over to the kitchen table. It was early, far too early for any of the brothers to be out of their slumber yet. Well maybe not Levi, he wasn't sure that demon even slept between marathons of anime and social media. With that said Lucifer had to be on that list too, he always seemed far too busy for anything other than work. Rory noticed though that he still made an attempt to be present at all meal times with his brothers, even if he had to keep order every time.

Today however was not a school day (he wasn't sure what day it was really, the Devildom had different ways of telling those things and he has simply not bothered to learn yet) but no matter how much Rory had tried to sleep in his body had refused to allow him. He had given up eventually and decided it would be nice to have a rare quiet morning, and some caffeine he was sure to need later on when the lack of sleep catches up to him.

The coffee itself fascinated him, along with the majority of Devildom food and drink as a whole. It was similar only in that humans and demons alike seemed to have similar preparations for things they consume. Like baking, roasting, and having various substances that you pour boiling water over, steep, and then drink. The ingredients themselves also seemed to consist of various parts/products taken from animals here, as well as odd vegetable-like produce. But that's where the similarities ended, he'd had the chance by now to watch different people cooking Devildom food and every time it was almost...frightening. Being human there was also a lot of things he couldn't eat from this world, poisonous tea leaves and fruit, strange toppings on a pizza like food that Levi had insisted would make his head shrink, some type of reptile in a stew that would make him insane for a week, and something in Mammon's instant noodles that would set him on fire with a single slurp. Not to mention just straight up poison? seemed to be an everyday ingredient here. it was terrifying, hard to wrap his head around, and very very interesting. Which is why when he was introduced to something the demons here called melancholy coffee, he found that pretty harmless. It wasn't going to kill him, or put him to sleep for a thousand years, just make him sad for a bit? Plus caffeine? Sold.

Rory looked down at the beverage in the elegant cup, it was inky black and shiny. Not the normal dark brown he grown accustomed to coffee being in the human world. True to its name, every sip he took of the jet black liquid tasted of sorrow and woe. It washed over him with each sip, but he'd dealt with depression in some way or another in his life so it wasn't something that got him truly miserable. If anything it helped him calm down more than he would have been capable of on his own. Since he got here his anxiety has been through the roof. Between having to live with 7 of the most powerful demons in the Devildom, to being whisked away from his peaceful life into a literal hellscape he hadn't bothered to believe in before...it had been a lot, a bit too much in fact. So he welcomed the rush of sadness and calm as the ink slowly dissipated from its cup.

So into his own emotions he didn't even startle when a container of...cream? It was some kind of liquid with an off white color and a sweet smell, was suddenly placed on the table right next to his cup and saucer. A gloved hand still attached. Looking up he met blood red eyes that seemed to always be trying to stare into his very soul. He was sure if he didn't blink Lucifer would succeed in doing just that, and enjoy it.

He blinked.

Rory looked back down at the cream? and back up in obvious confusion and was met with the eldest demon's casual smirk. His black hair was styled impeccably as usual, not a single strand out of place, and he was dressed in casual clothing minus the tie and fur overcoat thing he always wore on top. Even Lucifer's 'casual' clothing was fancy, he always seemed dressed to go meet with royalty.

He probably picked out the cups.

Wait...technically Diavolo was a prince...so I guess he does go meet with royalty regularly. Huh.

This morning though the demon was more casual then he'd ever seen him. No red tie over the vest for one, the top two buttons were yet to be buttoned on his dress shirt showing off the hollow of his neck and collar bones. His eyes traveled further down without his consent and he noticed for the first time that the sleeves of his shirt were also rolled up neatly, revealing toned forearms and tan skin.

It was a bit of a shock, with how much Lucifer normally made sure to cover himself completely. It was almost scandalous.

If it wasn't for the melancholy coffee currently flowing through his veins, Rory was sure his mouth would be hanging open in awe, and sporting a blush high on his cheeks.

"...Rory?", a voice said bringing him out of his stupor.

"Lucifer...good morning" he said, finally looking back up at the demon properly. Noticing the smirk previously on his face had faltered some.

"You were staring into your coffee for so long without drinking any, I thought you might prefer something to add to it" Lucifer said, pulling out a seat for himself, a steaming cup of the same black oil already in front of him.

"Oh I see...Sorry I hadn't even noticed you were in here." Rory said hand reaching for the small porcelain container of creamer, but not pouring any in his cup yet.

"Yes I noticed as much, you were entirely engrossed in your thoughts." He said lifting his own stupidly fancy cup up to his lips. "I was surprised to see anyone else up this early, normally it's just me in the kitchen at this time."

Trying to ignore the fact that he had been so in his own little world Lucifer actually had time to make his own cup of coffee, get him cream, and watch him look like a vegetable for god knows how long...he focused instead on the last part of that statement instead.  
"Normally? Are you always up at this hour then Lucifer?" He asked, still fidgeting with the handle of the creamer container, debating.

"Yes most days I am. I like having the opportunity to wake up and have coffee in the peace and quiet before my brothers disturb the silence. " he said, tone almost exasperated.

"Well in that case i'm sorry to disturb your morning routine, I didn't expect you at all this morning either if that's any consolation." He said finally lifting the container of cream and pouring a small amount into his half empty coffee cup. As the cream trickled in, the inky blackness gave away to a darker gray color, lessening the heavy melancholy.

"Is there something wrong with your sleeping arrangements? I know it's a little different due to the reconstruction but I tried to get everything exactly the same. We want our human guest to be comfortable, no matter what you think."

If the coffee hadn't already assured his mood would be anything but desolate he might have cracked a smile at the underlying question.

_Are you okay?_

"Nothing is wrong with my room at all, I appreciate all of you trying to make me comfortable." He said still gazing into his now two toned coffee swirling around gently in its cup. "I just couldn't get to sleep, so I resolved myself to start the day early and needed caffeine." he slowly looked back up into those crimson eyes, "Had I known I'd run into you I might have done it sooner"

Lucifer's eyes widened ever so slightly at the unexpected comment , "Well as happy as I am to get a rare moment alone with you, I think getting proper rest is more important. Last time I checked humans needed a few hours at least everyday."

He managed to pull a lazy smile across his face. "Yes last time I checked that was still true, but we can go a few days without and nothing bad will happen." he said resting his chin in his palm. "Well unless you count sleeping for a whole day afterwards, but that's normally the worst thing that happens."

"Is there something weighing on your mind then? That's preventing you from getting to sleep?"

Rory's eyes drifted away from the intense gaze, back down to his nearly gone coffee. There was some sort of pattern on the bottom of the inside of the cup beginning to emerge.

"Honestly? This has just been a lot so far. I know I've been in the Devildom for quite awhile now, but the anxiety of arriving here and living here, being around literal demons and otherworldly beings. It's all still very new to me, hard to adjust I think would be understating it." he said looking back up at Lucifer.

"Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining really, I am appreciative of all the protections and what not from y'all. But its still just something I have to wrestle with my anxiety about. Hence the coffee."

Lucifer raised a single thin eyebrow at that, "The coffee?"

"Yeah the melancholy coffee, it helps me relax. I know its suppose to give you this intense sense of sorrow but its helped me be more calm then anything."

Wait, so is that how Lucifer keeps his composure so perfect all the time? You see him with coffee in his hand at home more often than not. Which begs the question, does the melancholy affect him less or more because he's a demon? They cook with literal poison here as a staple ingredient, and they're certainly not dead. Well...maybe by human standards? Okay too deep. Stop.

But so if they cook with poison and it doesn't affect them like it would me (aka literal death) does that mean stuff with all these aftereffects that I can't have in its more extreme forms, doesn't effect them at all? So to them it would just be a name for a thing, instead of an item that might potentially make my skin fall off. Or maybe it's different for the brothers because their fallen angels?

"..ory...Rory!" fingertips gently caressing the side of his face brought him out of his rambling thoughts. Lucifer had that little crease between his eyebrows that only appears when he's actually worried about something. Had he really gotten so comfortable that he could just lose himself in his thoughts in front of Lucifer of all people? He demanded respect in everything he did...this coffee was dangerous.

"Sorry..I got lost in thought again." Rory said, reaching his own hand up to brush the gloved fingers still attached to his face. "I didn't mean to worry you. Perhaps the coffee relaxes me a bit too much."

Lucifer's expression changed to something he might call relief, and his hand retreated from his cheek, and back to his cup. "May I ask what you were thinking about that rendered you incapable of hearing my voice?"

"I was just thinking about human world food and Devildom food, and how the latter seems to effect me differently than it does you guys. Do you even get any of the melancholy in the melancholy coffee? Or is it just another beverage for you guys? Y'all use poison in food here but it doesn't seem to effect you, where as it would kill me for sure."

Continuing to drink his coffee Lucifer again arched a single elegant brow and chuckle in response to the rambling thoughts.

“To give you a simple answer, yes our food and the things we put in it do affect us the same as you, but perhaps on a much smaller scale compared to you. To use the example of our current beverage, yes the coffee does indeed make me feel melancholy. However it's something I could ignore if I wanted to, it doesn’t work that way for humans or other not-demons though." he said, draining the rest of his cup.

"If a human eats food not of their own world it will effect them more so then the species it was intended for, this also depends on how its meant to effect you...does this help?"

"For sure yes, it also helps confirm that I need to be very careful with what I eat here. Last thing I want is to be comatose because I ate breakfast." he said, finally gulping down the rest of his coffee that had gone cold over their conversation, somehow appropriate for liquid sadness.

"Hmm... that is a very good point, perhaps stocking up more human food is in order then? You would have to cook everything yourself, but at least you would know you could eat it safely." Lucifer said, suddenly scanning him up and down.

"What is it?"

Rory didn't notice how close he had gotten until those eyes were right in front of him looming just above his eyesight, nearly choking on the coffee he still had a mouthful of. A gloved hand had found its way down his neck and over his chest, traveling lower, lower, until it stopped just above his waist line. He almost jumped out of his chair when he felt it squeeze and poke lightly at his middle.

"I noticed this the other day, but you've slimmed down quite a bit compared to when you first got here. It seems we will have to start buying human food on the regular until we can figure out what Devildom food is safe for you." he said, still touching, prodding around his waist and stomach. There was no helping the blush that spread over his cheeks this time.

"It's not good for humans to have such rapid weight loss, I'd say you should take better care of yourself but in this case it's mostly our fault for not accommodating you more."

His hand traveled lower this time, past the waistband of the grey sweats he was wearing, and ending at the top of his thighs. Rory dared not breath, even if he wanted to move away he could not. Lucifer's eyes flicked back up to his, the red in them seemed to be glowing brighter then normal...or was that just a trick of the light? An amused smirk stretched across his face. Rory's eyes widened as he leaned in closer, the baritone in his voice making him shiver as his mouth hovered impossibly close to his ear.

"Let me know if there's anything else we can do to accommodate you." The demon said, the pressure on his thigh moving, teasing closer to his groin. "It's my job after all to make sure our exchange student is...well taken care of." This time he did jump when he felt teeth sink into the shell of his ear. If you asked him later he would completely deny the ungodly noise that came out of his mouth.

Then just as fast as it started, it was over. Lucifer leaned back up and away from his face, taking with him the hand that was on his thigh.

"I'll discuss this with Diavolo at once and ensure it's a regular occurrence that we receive human food, I'll text you later for a shopping list of basics as well. Please be prepared to send me one." He said, smirk still in place but his demeanor was all business now. All Rory could do was dumbly nod in response, not trusting his voice at the moment.

"Excellent, with that i'm afraid i'll have to get going. I hope you can manage some rest today Rory." the demon said while rolling his shirt sleeves back down to there usual manor, and buttoning them around his wrists. "Also if you see Beel sneaking in here please do shoo him out, you're the only one he listens to."

Rory nodded again, trying to find his voice after such a whirlwind.

"Wait um...Lucifer!"

Lucifer paused in the threshold of the kitchen, looking back.

"...thank you." Rory watched his eyes soften before turning back around and walking out without a word.

The coffee taste lingering in his mouth tasted like tree bark, dirt, and blueberries. He looked down into his now empty coffee cup, still stupidly fancy, the pattern at the bottom now visible.

It was a red and gold peacock feather.

He needed more coffee.

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who didn't know red and gold peacock feathers are something that feature a lot in Lucifer's outfit while in demon form. I couldn't help myself 
> 
> I do plan to continue writing with this MC in mind, but have him interact with the other brothers too, just prob with some time skips here and there. That doesn't mean the time lines will be all over the place, I just don't think I need to write every single day. So one shot styleish? If that makes sense, not sure what else to call it. Or instead of chapters I'll just make them stand alone fics...haven't decided.   
> But hey I really appreciate y'all reading my story! I don't have a beta so I'll be fixing any glaring grammar/formatting mistakes as I see them. 
> 
> Thank you!


End file.
